Charles André Weiss (September 30, 1858 in
Mulhouse
Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...
- August 31, 1928 in
the Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
) was a French
jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...
. He was professor at the Universities of
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and served from 1922 until his death as judge of the
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cent ...
.
Life
André Weiss was born in
Mulhouse
Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...
in 1858 and completed a degree in law at the University of Paris in 1880. The following year he became a professor at the University of Dijon. In 1891 he moved to the Law School of the University of Paris. There he was from 1896 to 1908 a full professor of
civil law, and from 1908 he held the chair for
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
and
private international law
Conflict of laws (also called private international law) is the set of rules or laws a jurisdiction applies to a case, transaction, or other occurrence that has connections to more than one jurisdiction. This body of law deals with three broad t ...
. From 1907 he also acted as legal advisor to the
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Qu ...
. He was a close associate of Secretary of State
Aristide Briand
Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
and participated as a delegate to the
Paris Peace Conference at the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He led one of the subcommissions of the conference.
From 1920, he was a member of the
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is a non-UN intergovernmental organization located in The Hague, Netherlands. Unlike a judicial court in the traditional sense, the PCA provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that arise ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
. In September 1921, he was elected by the Assembly and the Council of the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
to the post of
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
on the newly formed
Permanent International Court. His fellow judges elected him vice president at the beginning of the Tribunal's work on February 3, 1922. He was confirmed in this office in 1924 and 1927. He died before the end of his term as Judge and Vice President in August 1928 in the Hague. His compatriot,
Henri Fromageot, was elected his successor, and in the office of vice-president he was succeeded by the Swiss
Max Huber.
André Weiss taught in 1923 as a lecturer at the
Hague Academy of International Law
The Hague Academy of International Law (french: Académie de droit international de La Haye) is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taugh ...
. He was a member of the
Institut de Droit International
The Institute of International Law (French: Institut de Droit International) is an organization devoted to the study and development of international law, whose membership comprises the world's leading public international lawyers. The organizati ...
from 1887, acting as president of its 30th session in 1922 in
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. From 1914 he was a member of the
Académie des sciences morales et politiques
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
.
Prominent Works
* ''Traité théorique et pratique de droit international privé,'' 6 vols. Paris 1892–1913.
* ''Manuel de droit international prive.'' Paris 1905
References
* ''Biographie des Juges. M. André Weiss, Vice-Président.'' in: ''Rapport Annuel de la Cour Permanente de Justice Internationale.'' Band 1 (1922–1925). A.W. Sijthoff's Publishing, Leiden 1925, S. 13/14
* "Tribute To The Memory of M. André Weiss" in ''Fifth Annual Report of the Permanent Court of International Justice.'' A.W. Sijthoff's Publishing, Leiden 1929, S. 18/19
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Andre
1858 births
1928 deaths
Permanent Court of International Justice judges
Members of the Institut de Droit International
French judges of international courts and tribunals
University of Paris alumni
University of Paris faculty
Academic staff of the University of Burgundy
Writers from Mulhouse